On March 14, 2020, all places of learning in Trinidad and Tobago were closed to students to prevent the spread of COVID-19. What was meant to be a short-term response to the risks of a pandemic had no choice but to be continued. By the end of March, UWI St Augustine sealed its gates to all but Campus Security and a few colleagues with essential functions. For more than two years, our campus was a ghost town. Finally, that time is over.
It gives me great pleasure in this, my first message in UWI Today as Campus Principal, to celebrate the physical reopening of UWI St Augustine. As a campus community, we are embarking on several new beginnings – new academic year, return to campus, and new leadership. These are auspicious times, and my hope is that all of us – students, faculty, and staff – can recognise the potential in this moment. It is customary to treat a new year as a new beginning. As members of a community in higher education, we are blessed with the gift of two New Years. Let us make Academic Year 2022/2023 the starting point for a journey towards new levels of excellence on a thriving campus.
I have been part of this university for decades – first at the Cave Hill Campus, and then as Dean of the Faculty of Law at St Augustine – and I am as committed to this institution as I am to our region. Throughout my career, I have been guided by my belief in our exceptional nature as Caribbean people, and an imperative to make a positive contribution to communities, the society, and indeed, the world.
We are as intelligent, creative, and capable as anyone anywhere, and our abilities find their greatest expression in the service of justice, equality, and improving lives. I am fortunate to be part of an institution that gives me the opportunity to work so closely in alignment with these values. I am grateful for the trust placed in me to lead this campus.
We face many challenges – as an institution and a region. In fact, the world is beset by crises. However, I am confident that UWI St Augustine can and will thrive in the coming years. We will have to work very hard, show great resilience, and harness our creative dynamism. It will not be easy, but we can do it. As a former dean of a brand new faculty, I had the experience of establishing and building an enterprise in challenging circumstances, which I hope served me well. We succeeded because our will to win was stronger than any obstacle. That will resides in all of us. I look forward to working with staff and other stakeholders in unleashing that potential.
To our students, new and returning, I welcome you to the campus. More than an educational investment, many of you will find on this campus a home away from home and an extended family. We will do our best to serve you. To all faculty and staff, this is a team effort. We will ensure that our team members are heard. To the people of T&T and the region, The UWI is your university. The services we provide go well beyond education. We are a Caribbean asset, and we are at our best when focused laser-like on the needs of Caribbean society. Let me assure you, some of our best work is yet to come.
I would also like to thank my predecessor, Professor Brian Copeland for his steady and dedicated leadership during his time as Campus Principal. I wish him all success in his next endeavors.
In closing, I would like every member of The UWI St Augustine Campus community to appreciate the importance of this moment. The pandemic has eased, much of the world has reopened. It is a new era and we have work to do. Let us arise in power and make this a new golden era for UWI St Augustine.
